Greens in the Senate deliver Cooks River cycle path funding

The $200,000 of federal stimulus money that has been directed towards the Cooks River Regional Bicycle Route was a result of the Australian Greens in the Senate negotiating the passage of the stimulus bill earlier this year.

The Greens secured $40 million extra for bicycle infrastructure, as well as funds for heritage protection and home efficiency measures, as part of the stimulus package.

“This is a fantastic result for Marrickville and bicycle infrastructure and goes to show The Greens get results when we hold the balance of power, “said Greens Councillor Max Phillips

“Building infrastructure such as cycleways is a better use of stimulus money than cash hand-outs and I’m proud that The Greens secured this investment in sustainable infrastructure,” he said.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown says that hundreds of kilometres of bike ways and hundreds of jobs were secured when the Australian Greens negotiated the $40 million bike ways package as part of the $42 billion economic stimulus measures in February this year.

Launching the package with Australian Greens Deputy Leader and the Minister for Infrastructure Anthony Albanese today, Senator Brown said: “the project will be matched with $40 million from local government and other entities and will be part of a massive bike way and pedestrian building program in Australia if the Greens proposals are carried through.”

“Bike ways are as good for personal health as they are for the planet. Bike ways reduce obesity, improve health and keep us in touch with the outdoors. The Greens would like to see no new roadways constructed without bike ways being part of the construction.”

“We have recommended to the government the Dutch formula of at least 1 per cent of transport funding being allocated to funding bike ways and improved pedestrian access. That doesn’t sound much but it is enough to transform Australian cities with bike ways.”

“There are dozens more bike way proposals wanting for funding and development which the Greens will be pursuing. I congratulate the Rudd government and the Minister for Infrastructure for taking up this Greens proposal,” Senator Brown said at the Intercity Cycleway in Claremont.

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The Marrickville and Petersham-Newtown Greens are the local groups for members of The Greens political party living in the Sydney suburbs of Dulwich Hill, Enmore, Lewisham, Marrickville, Newtown, Petersham, St Peters, Stanmore, Sydenham and Tempe.

All electoral comment on this site authorised by Richard Morrell 19 Eve Street Erskinville NSW